For the past couple of seasons, the Denver Broncos have had one of the best and most consistent offensive lines in the NFL. Despite the performance of the offensive line, former second-round pick Javonte Williams was unable to produce.
Although everyone wishes Javonte well on his new team in Dallas, the fact that he wasn't able to take advantage of a golden opportunity in Denver can mean only one thing: The Cowboys are taking a risk the Denver Broncos already know is going to fail.
Williams has been working in with the top offense -- along with Miles Sanders -- consistently throughout Cowboys training camp.
Broncos fans know what Cowboys are risking by relying on Javonte Williams
If it feels like Broncos Country has been piling on Javonte Williams this offseason, it's because they have. There's no doubt about it.
But the organization has done the same without overtly saying the quiet part out loud. The Broncos have given Williams the majority of carries the past two seasons despite being one of the most efficient run-blocking teams in the NFL, and he simply wasn't able to take advantage of it. No running back in Denver has run for 100 yards or more in a game since Latavius Murray near the end of the 2022 season.
The last time Williams ran for 100 yards in a game was December 5, 2021. That was before he suffered a knee injury early in the 2022 season that cost him the explosiveness and brutal physicality we had seen so frequently in his rookie year.
Behind an offensive line that ranked #1 in ESPN's run block win rate metric, Williams was barely able to crack 500 rushing yards last season, and had four games last season with one rushing yard or less.
For a "lead back", that is simply unacceptable. Adding in that Williams had dropped passes and fumbles over the past two years, and is almost completely ineffective in the tight red zone (which makes no sense for a back whose game is predicated on power), and you have the Dallas Cowboys taking a risk that Broncos fans can tell you is a rough one.
Meanwhile in Denver, the Broncos are taking some risks of their own. They brought in JK Dobbins this offseason to be one of their lead backs, and Dobbins has struggled with injury issues himself. Not only that, but the team's decision to wait until the 60th overall pick to take a running back in this year's draft (RJ Harvey) was a curious one.
We'll see -- for all parties involved -- if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.
